Here’s How to Get Medical Marijuana (Legally!) in Ohio

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So if you live in Ohio then you may know that medical marijuana is legal. In fact House Bill 523 was passed in 2016 and signed into law by Gov. John Kasich that September, marking the beginning of a new era in the Buckeye State. So as long as you have any of the ailments that qualify then you could be on your way to purchasing some legal pot.

In fact in the first two weeks almost 50 pounds of bud was moved from the newly opened dispensaries, with over $330,000 worth of sales being recorded.

Still, there are some questions. The burning one that most people are having at the moment, however, is how?

How do you get a prescription for legal marijuana? Where do you go? How much does it cost?

Then of course there are the skeptics who question whether this is legal, legal. I’ll do my best to answer some of the main questions surrounding this hot topic, and don’t forget to click on the links to get a little more detail about each topic.

How?

According to the state of Ohio, there are 21 different ailments that you could be experiencing that would warrant a prescription for pot. In order to even step foot in one of the dispensaries you need a recommendation from a certified physician (more on them in just a moment!) stating that they’ve verified your condition.

Per a recent FOX 8 article, one of the following conditions would need to be met in order to qualify:

AIDS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Alzheimer’s disease

Cancer

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Crohn’s disease

Epilepsy or another seizure disorder

Fibromyalgia

Glaucoma

Hepatitis C

Inflammatory bowel disease

Multiple sclerosis

Pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable

Parkinson’s disease

Positive status for HIV

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Sickle cell anemia

Spinal cord disease or injury

Tourette’s syndrome

Traumatic brain injury

Ulcerative colitis

It’s also important to note that this list is not set in stone. Ohio is looking at other ailments that could qualify potential patients, with depression being something that could be added in the future.

Who?

I previously mentioned that a certified physician needs to officially recommend that medical marijuana is something that could benefit you before you’re legally able to purchase it. At the moment, there are over 300 professionals that have the capability to do so, meaning that there should be one not too far from where you live.

For a complete updated list of physicians with the ability to recommend medical grade green, click here.

Where?

So after you receive your recommendation from the certified physician, you have to then register online and pay a $50 annual registration fee ($25 for caregivers). Once that’s done the patient can then begin looking for the dispensary closest to them.

As of today (1/31/2019) there are only 4 dispensaries open for business. However, there are 56 licensed dispensaries statewide (the state is just waiting for the remaining shops to get everything up to snuff).

According to Cannabis Business Times, here’s where you can go to buy your bud once you have to correct documentation from your certified physician:

The Botanist – 3840 Greentree Ave. in Canton

The Forest Sandusky – 1651 Tiffin Ave. in Sandusky

CY+ – 180 Main St. in Wintersville

Ohio Valley Natural Relief LLC – 840 Canton Rd, also in Wintersville

Key Reminders

Even though the bill was signed over two years ago, selling medical grade marijuana is still a new venture for the state of Ohio. The entire situation will be a fluid one, so we recommend always doing your proper Google searches from time to time, just to make sure that you’re staying current on all of the updated rules. Like the fact that medical weed is only legal to vape, and not to smoke. At least as of right now.